Joan Jefferies
Real Name: Delores Joan Jefferies Nicknames: Joan Location: Webster, Texas Date: November 29, 1994 Case Details: Fifty-eight-year-old Joan Jefferies was a clerk at an aerospace firm in Houston, Texas who worked with software engineer Sam Patel. He convinced her to help him start a commuter airline company called "Best Aviation". In April 1994, he hired her part time and had her placed on the company's Board of Directors. Although he was married, they often met at the home of his then-girlfriend, Richie Guyote. He told Richie that he was in an arranged marriage and that he could not get divorced. Sam told Joan that foreign investors would help fund Best Aviation in the coming months. Meanwhile, a top priority was obtaining life insurance policies on the company's key people; Joan herself was insured for $250,000. Her family could not understand why she was insured for that high amount of money, as she was basically a secretary. Sam agreed to pay her a monthly salary. However, between April and November 1994, she received only one check and it bounced. Joan's daughter, Kelley, claims that by November, she was planning on ending her involvement with Best Aviation and Sam. He apparently became defensive and tried everything he could to get her to stay. However, he claims that they agreed for her to work until they could find someone else to work part-time. Two weeks later, sometime during the night, Sam showed up at Joan's apartment unannounced. He showed her a certified check, however, he claimed that he had to go and get it xeroxed. She called Kelley and talked with her for a few minutes. When he returned, he claimed that he could not find a xerox machine. He asked her if he could use her phone as he did not have a car; she agreed. His wife got a rental car to pick him up there. Strangely, he then gave her a door alarm and a taser gun, claiming that she needed protection. He then asked her for a ride home, as the car had not shown up yet. When she called Kelley back, she told her not to give him a ride home. According to Kelley, while she was on the phone with Joan, Sam showed up a third time. She told him to leave. He, however, claims that he never showed up there that night. Two weeks later, on November 28, 1994, she had a business dinner with him. She expected a check from him for $4000 in back wages. She also planned to hand over the company files and sever her ties with Best Aviation. Kelley asked her to meet with him at work, as she did not trust him, however, she felt that she would be safe in a public restaurant. Interestingly, he insisted that she did not mention quitting her job at Best Aviation. He claims that the meeting just involved talking about investors. He also claimed that he gave her a check, post-dated to December 9, which was when the investors' money would arrive. Joan and Sam left the restaurant at around 10pm. Early the next morning, she was found dead in her car; she was shot twice in the head and twice in the chest. Her purse and keys were missing, but she was still wearing her diamond necklace, plainly in view. Robbery was an unlikely motive. The amount of shots seemed to indicate that the killer was known to her. Investigators believe that she was killed the night before. Sam was brought in for questioning. He claimed that on the night of the murder, they parted ways in the parking lot. He claimed that he went to Richie's house. Initially, he said that he had never been in Joan's car. However, during a second interview, he changed his story and said that he had been in it. He also told investigators that he was riding his bike around a cul-de-sac near Richie's house. He then showed up there. She said that he did so that night with his shirt wrapped around his neck. He claimed that he was hot from riding his bike. However, she felt that something was not right. Interestingly, the shirt was never found. Other evidence was found at the scene, including vomit, apparently left by the killer. Subsequent analysis revealed the contents, which were the same contents of the meal that Sam had eaten on the night of the murder. Unfortunately, DNA testing on the vomit was inconclusive. Despite this, Joan's family is convinced that he was the killer. Suspects: Sam is considered a prime suspect in this case. Joan's family was first suspicious of the large life insurance policy taken out on her, even though she was basically a secretary for his company. When months passed and she had not received a check from him, she threatened to quit. He, however, pleaded with her to stay. Her family was also suspicious about his actions on the night that he showed up at her apartment three times. Kelley believes that, had she not been on the phone with her, Sam would have killed her that night. Investigators and Joan's family believe that his actions on the night of the murder were also suspicious, especially his supposed bike ride and the conflicting stories about the shirt he was wearing. He has yet to turn it over to the police. If he was the killer, he would have had to reach over her body and turn off her car; in the process, he would have gotten blood on the shirt. Kelley believes Sam had to murder Joan that night while she was still an employee in order to collect the insurance. She believes that he staged the flimsy robbery to divert attention from himself. He continues to maintain his innocence. He claims that after the murder, he met with the Board of Directors; they agreed to donate the insurance money to either a charity of her family. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the April 12, 1996 episode. Results: Unsolved. In January of 1996, Joan's children filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sam. Its outcome is unknown. No charges have ever been filed in the murder. Links: * Joan Jefferies at Unsolved.com * Joan Jefferies Obituary * League City family files wrongful death suit * Corrections (Galveston Daily News February 1996) * Sitcoms Online Discussion of Joan Jefferies ---- Category:Texas Category:1994 Category:Murder Category:Restaurant-Related Cases Category:Air-Related Cases Category:Bicycle-Related Cases Category:Unsolved